Hundreds of people are still dying of COVID in the UK every day... and nobody cares!

You probably didn’t miss the news of the government’s new tax to pay for NHS and social care reforms, and likely saw Boris Johnson, Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak giving a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to present their controversial plan to the nation.

But...

Did you know that there was not a single word from them about the ongoing pandemic situation in the UK? Not a word about the 37k new infections in 24 hours. Not a word about the 209 new deaths in 24 hours.

As if there was no pandemic at all.

As if everything was sorted.

As if, after Boris Johnson’s 2019 “Get Brexit Done” with which he ‘achieved’ Brexit (he didn’t!), we were now living his 2021 “Get Covid Done” with which he ‘ended’ Covid (he hasn’t!).

Any journalists wearing masks at the press conference? | Flickr — Number 10

But do not blame Johnson, Javid and Sunak: absolutely no journalist took this opportunity – and what better opportunity when you are finally back in front of them, not just behind a screen! – to ask them about Covid either!

It is also disappointing to see senior journalists from the UK press sitting together in an enclosed space for an hour, most without a face covering.

We, sadly, know that our government, its supporters and its MPs are poor role models in relation to wearing masks, here and in the House of Commons. But journalists should know better.

Covid-19 is airborne, people! ■

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(Cover: Flickr/Number 10 — PM Boris Johnson, Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak. — CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)